DESCRIPTION (Applicant's Description): The primary goal of the Research Oncology Training Program is to prepare Predoctoral and Postdoctoral participants for investigative careers in cancer research. The Predoctoral Training Program provides a forum within the Biomedical Sciences Training Program (BSTP) at Case Western Reserve University (CWRU) School of Medicine for graduate training that emphasizes cancer research. Trainees will conduct their thesis research under the guidance of Cancer Center faculty in the Ph.D. degree-granting programs of Molecular Biology, Biochemistry, Cell Biology, Neuroscience, Genetics, Pathology, Pharmacology and Physiology and Biophysics. Predoctoral Trainees will participate in the Core Academic Program of the BSTP during the first year of training and then, during subsequent years of training, participate in d i d actic course work focused specifically on cancer research. The Postdoctoral Training Program integrates the training of physician scientists (M.D. or M.D./Ph.D.) and basic scientists (Ph.D.) under the direction of select Cancer Center faculty who bridge traditional departmental boundaries to apply multidisciplinary approaches to fundamental problems in oncology. Physician trainees without previous research training will attend graduate level basic science courses as needed to bring their level of knowledge up to that of a Ph.D. or M.D./Ph.D. trainee. Pre- and Postdoctoral Trainees will be unified as an interactive group through participation in a monthly dinner meeting which they help to organize, a weekly Cancer Genetics and Cancer Biology Journal Club, a weekly Cancer Center Seminar, and a special session at the annual Cancer Center retreat that features trainee presentations. Formal training will also include an annual Radiation Safety course and an annual course on ethics. The Training Program will be governed by a Steering Committee charged with responsibility for (i) active recruitment of trainees, with an emphasis on women and underrepresented minorities; (ii) selection of high caliber candidates who are fully committed to research careers; (iii) tracking the progress of trainees according to specified criteria and standards; (iv) evaluating the mentorship provided by individual faculty; and (v) tracking the success of trainees who have completed the training program.